The Meaningful Use program and the quest for incentive payments has led countless practices to implement EHR technology without fully considering the implications of switching from paper to an electronic system. In fact, in the rush to qualify for federal incentives, many physicians are finding that they are not as satisfied with their electronic health record software as they were a few years ago. According to a survey by the American College of Physicians (ACP) and AmericanEHR, 39 percent of physicians would not recommend their EHR to a colleague and 40 percent would not purchase the same system again if given the choice.

Reasons physicians are unhappy with their EHRs:

They haven’t fulfilled their promise of increasing productivity.

They haven’t succeeded in decreasing workload.

They make it difficult to attest to Meaningful Use.

In a press release from the ACP, the head of the organization’s Medical Practice, Professionalism & Quality division stated: “These findings highlight the need for the Meaningful Use program and EHR manufacturers to focus on improving EHR features and usability to help reduce inefficient work flows, improve error rates and patient care, and for practices to recognize the importance of ongoing training at all stages of EHR adoption.”

The survey findings fall in line with another recent survey from Black Book Rankings, which found that up to 17 percent of physician practices plan to switch to a different EHR system in 2013. Black Book Rankings even speculated that 2013 could be the “Year of the Great EHR Vendor Switch.”

A major reason for this is that physicians are becoming more knowledgeable when it comes to EHR technology, particularly with regards to the features and functionalities that they need their electronic health record software to have. As users figure out what they want from their software, they become more likely to want to trade up to a different system.

Are you dissatisfied with your EHR? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section.